


Role Play

by Saber_Wing



Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers Family, Fluff, Getting Together, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Protective Steve Rogers, Romance, Somebody has to look after Tony because he isn't doing it, Steve is an adorable doofus, Superhusbands (Marvel), They love each other, Tony is also an adorable doofus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-12 16:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19948933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saber_Wing/pseuds/Saber_Wing
Summary: Tony stepped out of the Iron Man armor, rolling his shoulders to work out the kinks. He had only just turned toward Steve when the other man all but barreled into him, grabbing him by both arms.Tony started, taken aback. “Easy there, Cap.”“My God.” Steve reached up with one hand, stopping just short of brushing his jaw. “Tony...”After a mission undercover behind enemy lines, Steve discovers the unwitting collateral damage. He is not pleased.





	Role Play

**Author's Note:**

> Happens immediately after the events of Season 1, Episode 13: 'In Deep,' of Avengers Assemble, but isn't strictly necessary for background. Onward!

Tony stepped out of the Iron Man armor, rolling his shoulders to work out the kinks. He had only just turned toward Steve when the other man all but _barreled_ into him, grabbing him by both arms.

Tony started, taken aback. “Easy there, Cap.”

“My God.” Steve reached up with one hand, stopping just short of brushing his jaw. “Tony...”

“Uh.” Tony blinked, frowning at the abject horror twisting his friend's features. “Can I help you?”

Steve all but dragged him from the landing pad, ignoring Tony's sputtered protests as they made their way to the kitchen. His shoulders were tense as he paced away from Tony, high tailing it to the freezer and tearing the door open. He rummaged around inside for a moment before coming back out with a bag of frozen peas, of all things.

Tony was utterly bewildered. It wasn't until Steve tried to press the stupid peas to his _face_ that he completely unfroze. He jerked away from him, caught between amusement and annoyance. “Okay, buddy. I'm gonna need you to slow your roll. Use your words. What's going on?”

“Your _face,_ ” Steve replied, as if that explained everything. He started forward with the bag of peas again.

“Okay, my face _._ That's good, we're getting somewhere. Why are you attacking it with vegetables?” Tony questioned, completely at a loss. “I know you keep saying I need to eat better, but don't you think this is a little extreme?”

“Oh, for heaven's sake...” Steve huffed and grabbed his arm again, taking Tony's chin in his hand. “Hold still. Let me see.”

“See _what?_ I-” Tony cut himself off, hissing as Steve ran his thumb over a tender spot. “Ow.”

Steve and Tony had just come back from going undercover at the Red Skull's base. At one point, they'd staged a fight to provoke the Cabal into turning against each other. Steve had punched Tony in the face to initiate the conflict, but the super-soldier pulled it so much, he hadn't given the blow a second thought. Sure, it hurt, but it didn't feel like anything was broken, and it got the Cabal's attention. Made their conflict look real. He'd almost completely forgotten about it. Until now.

Judging by Steve's reaction, he'd probably struck him with more force than either of them thought.

“Tony, I am _so_ sorry.” Steve's voice was level, but he sounded so genuinely upset, it pulled at Tony's heartstrings a bit. “I didn't realize I'd hit you that hard.”

“You didn't. I bruise like a peach.” Tony winced, flexing his jaw to test his range of motion. He clasped his friend's shoulder and smiled for him, though it sent shooting pains lancing down his cheek. “Seriously. Don't worry about it."

Steve prodded the bruise gently for a moment. “Nothing feels broken. Still, maybe we should...”

“I am not seeking professional help for a bruise.”

Steve's voice was sheepish when he spoke, and there was a stubborn set to his jaw, though he looked a bit chagrined. “It's a _bad_ bruise.”

Tony chuckled. “Steve! Stop! I promise you, it's fine. I'll pop some ibuprofen and walk it off.”

“You should ice it, too.” Steve snatched a dish towel from the rack next to the sink, wrapping the bag of peas before holding it out to Tony. “It'll take the swelling down.”

“It's not _that_ swollen.”

Steve raised a skeptical eyebrow, steering Tony toward a mirror on the wall near the entryway. The right side of his face was a mottled, puffy mass of red and purple, extending from his jaw, up to his cheekbone. It was fist-shaped, and admittedly, looked several unpleasant shades of awful.

Tony couldn't hold back a grimace. “All right, maybe it is. Still, it's a _bruise,_ babe. Chill.”

Steve bristled at the pet-name, a blush coloring his cheeks. He looked away, tightening his jaw and crossing his arms over his chest.

Tony stared, incredulous. “Oh my God, you are _not_ pouting right now.”

The captain averted his eyes. He frowned deeply, lower lip protruding.

“Seriously?” Tony groaned. “Okay, Captain Guilt Trip, you win. Here. Give me the damn peas.”

“I wasn't trying to guilt trip you.” Steve handed it over, shuffling his feet in such an uncertain manner, Tony almost couldn't believe the guy who barked orders at him in battle was even the same person. “I just want you to be taken care of. That's all. I worry about you, Tony.”

God, how did he _say_ things like that with a straight face? Even just the thought made Tony vaguely nauseous. He could solve quadratic equations in his head without even blinking, but feelings?

Those were _hard_.

Steve clucked over the Avengers like a mother hen when _any_ of them were hurt. And maybe it was just wishful thinking on Tony's part, but he seemed to fret over him most of all.

Emotions – the deep ones, anyway, made Tony twitch, but there was something between him and Steve. Something so tangible and real, even _he_ could only deflect for so long. They'd been dancing around each other, neither quite willing to yield to, well, whatever the hell this was. At least, not yet.

They'd have to address it eventually, but for now, Tony smiled, ignoring the way his heart fluttered when Steve's eyes landed on him again. So tender and soft, he could weep from it.

“I know.” Tony raised the makeshift ice pack to his cheek, hissing when it made contact. “It's okay. Really. In a couple weeks, my face will be a sickly yellow, and we'll still be that much more in the know about the Cabal. You made the right call, starting that fake fight. It got the job done and tore their flimsy alliance apart.”

“Still, sometimes I don't know my own strength. I should have been more careful.”

“What were you supposed to do, love tap me? You had to hit me hard enough to sell it.” Tony sat on one of the bar stools, patting Steve's shoulder with his free hand. “Don't worry your pretty little head. I don't regret anything about today. You shouldn't either.”

“I guess you're right.” Steve squared his shoulders, something hard taking over his expression.

Still, he looked so low-key miserable, Tony took pity on him. “Look. If you wanna do something for me, why don't you go grab me some pain killers?”

The way Steve's eyes lit up told Tony he'd made the right call. “Sure. I'll be right back.”

Tony shook his head as Steve spun on his heel and took off, taking the steps two at a time, as if Tony's life depended on expediency. He smiled fondly, until he remembered that would hurt, and told his lips to behave themselves.

The other man was back in record time, looking so earnest and eager to help, it made a lump rise in Tony's throat. One he couldn't quite explain and wasn't sure he wanted to.

“Here's two for now, but let me know if you want another in a bit, okay?” Steve handed him the tablets, and... Jesus, a cup of water. That Tony was forced to believe he'd brought _with_ him from the bathroom.

What even _was_ Steve, anyway? Nothing was that pure.

Tony shifted uncomfortably. “Look, Cap. Not that I don't appreciate being the center of attention, but this is wildly unnecessary. I'm...” He'd been balancing the ice pack between his shoulder and his cheek but lost his grip when he shifted. He scowled as it hit the floor, betrayed. “...fine.”

Steve's lips twitched. “Clearly.”

Tony pouted, grumbling to himself. He popped the tablets into his mouth and washed them down, barely managing to hold back a grimace _._ Anything in the vicinity of his face was pain, and that unfortunately included swallowing. Something must have given away his discomfort regardless, because Steve frowned at him. He stooped to pick up the ice pack.

That much, Tony expected. Whoever said chivalry was dead clearly had never met Captain Virtue here. What he _didn't_ expect was for Steve to reach for him after. He cupped his face, bringing the makeshift ice pack gently to his cheek.

Even when Tony was a kid, he hadn't received this kind of attention. It was soft. Sweet _._ And what the actual fuck was he supposed to do with that?

Tony's foot slipped as he shifted on the bar stool, and it jarred his face, just enough to smash it uncomfortably into one of the ice chunks. He hissed, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain. When he opened them again, Steve was watching him with warm, compassionate eyes.

“Hey.” The super-soldier reached out with his other hand, brushing his thumb along Tony's cheekbone. “You okay?”

Tony gazed back at him for a long moment. He could fall into those eyes. Swim in their depths and never emerge again, and not have a single, God damned regret in the world.

It scared the hell out of him.

“Why're you so good to me?” Tony murmured, utterly at a loss. Because for all his tech and his genius, he couldn't begin to wrap his mind around that.

“You deserve good things.” And Steve looked so _sad_ when he said it, Tony felt his throat tighten. “Is that really so hard to believe?”

He shrugged. “People haven't exactly been lining up to tell me.”

Nobody cared about Tony Stark's first-world problems. He was a billionaire. A genius. Why should they care that he had hang-ups a mile long, that he couldn't sleep at night? Everyone had problems. His weren't any more important. Significantly _less,_ even.

Then Tony's thoughts stuttered to a halt, because Steve was leaning in, and he was kissing him. And Tony was helpless to do anything but respond. It was surprisingly chaste. Barely more than a peck, in the scheme of things, but it was real.

Please, _please_ be real.

When they broke apart, Tony was breathless. He touched his forehead lightly to Steve's, shutting his eyes.

“What are we gonna do about this?” Steve murmured. He reached up, cupping Tony's uninjured cheek.

Tony could feel himself panicking, which was _absurd_. It was just a kiss. _Barely even_ a kiss, for God's sake, and here he was, trembling like a schoolgirl. The tabloids absolutely could not sink their claws into this. His reputation would never recover.

“Tony...” Steve hesitated, chewed on his lip. “Tell me you haven't felt it. This...thing between us.”

Tony found drifting even closer, almost involuntarily. “I was, um...sort of hoping it would go away, to be honest.”

“Do you want it to?” The super-soldier stood up from the bar, tugging Tony gently up with him. “Because I don't think _I_ do.”

And suddenly, Tony really _couldn't_ breathe, because this was Steve Rogers they were talking about. Captain Fucking America. The man had just kissed him, was telling him he wanted to _keep_ kissing him, and it was too much. It didn't make any sense. He broke away from Steve, pacing nervously in the opposite direction.

“I don't get it.” Tony muttered, incredulous. “Why would you even be interested? You're... _you.”_

“We've been through this.” Steve stalked toward him, like a tiger. A sexy tiger. Jesus fuck, that was a statement Tony never wanted to unpack. His heart raced.

“Uh...”

Steve moved closer. “Billionaire. Genius. Smartest man in the entire world. Interested? By God, who wouldn't be?”

Flatterer. And it was fucking _working,_ too.

Tony scoffed. “Oh, now I'm _the_ smartest. What happened to those other two guys you know?”

Steve smirked, lips tilting up at the corners just so, and Tony's stomach flipped. “You really can't just take a compliment, can you? Well you'd better get used to it, Stark, 'cause there's plenty more where that came from.” He stopped in front of Tony, lips ghosting over his ear. “I can do this _all_ day.”

Tony was sure there were a lot of things Steve could do all day, and he wanted to be one of them. When he finally found it in him to speak, his voice was rough. Husky. “What are my other virtues then, _'Oh Captain, My Captain?'_ ”

“We could always add _gorgeous_ onto genius.” Steve wrapped his arms around Tony's waist. “Funny. Witty. Incredible. Best friend a guy could ever have.”

“That last one's kind of a mouthful.”

Steve laughed. He raised a sculpted eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? Any suggestions?”

And he looked so beautiful, blushing bright red despite his bravado, that Tony knew he was thoroughly fucked either way. Might as well make the best of it before this shit hit the fan and shredded itself beyond repair. So, he leaned in and did what any logical, breathing, bisexual male with a pulse _would_ do. He caught Steve's lower lip between his teeth and showed him that he wasn't just a _tech_ genius.

When they finally broke apart again, _Steve_ was the breathless one. He tucked his head between the crook of Tony's shoulder, trembling.

Tony smirked. “What do you think of, 'Phenomenal kisser?'”

“Is that not on your resume?” Steve chuckled shakily. "Seems to me it should be."

A crash from the entryway startled them both, and they turned to look, still clasped in each other's arms. Hulk and Thor were both standing motionless, looking guilty, and pointing at one another. And wouldn't you know it: the gang was all there.

 _All_ of them.

Clint dropped down from the rafters. “Oh, my fucking God, _finally!”_ He glared at the two of them, lip curled. “Can we skip the awkward dating phase and get right to the fucking, please? Because if I’ve gotta put up with you two idiots mooning over each other for one more day, I'm actually going to puke.”

Natasha smirked. “Oh, how cute. He thinks it won't be worse _after_ the fucking starts.”

Clint sighed heavily. “Just let me have this, okay?”

Sam groaned, reaching into his back pocket. He pulled out his wallet, snatching a couple of bills and thrusting them into Natasha's hand. “Knew I shouldn't have taken that bet. You scare me, you know that?”

Tony should have been ruffled. He should have been annoyed that this beautiful, private moment had been interrupted, but somehow it just felt right. The whole damned family, drawing lots over their captain's love life.

He cupped Steve's cheek with one hand, gave his team the finger with the other, and went back to showing said captain just how much he appreciated him. And his face still hurt like a bitch, but it didn't matter. Not when he had over two-hundred pounds of super-soldier in front of him, sweaty, and perfect, and all _his._

What a time to be alive.

Getting punched in the face had never been sweeter.

**Author's Note:**

> This didn't start out as a first kiss story, but I'm glad it ended as one! :D
> 
> Thanks for reading, as always!


End file.
